As the cruise industry recovers from the pandemic, many cruise lines are offering extraordinary deals.
However, it can be difficult to separate the marketing ‘noise’ from offers that are truly great value.
When everyone is shouting, how do you know who you should listen to?
I’ve got you covered. I am constantly scanning and absorbing all the offers currently in the marketplace (and they change almost daily). I won’t bother mentioning the ‘ordinary’ sales to you. But when I see an offer that’s so exceptional it stands out above the others, I’ll be sure to bring it to your attention.
Next week starting on July 1st, you will see Hurtigruten advertising a one-week “Flash Sale”, promising fare reductions of up to 50%. I’m always skeptical of such offers, but this one is the real thing. They have a number of sailings that actually are 50% off, and as such represent solid value if you’re in the market for an expedition cruise.
Hurtigruten sails mostly in the polar regions, and the pricing that caught my eye were the cruises to Antarctica. If ‘The Last Continent’ is on your bucket list, you’ll want to take a close look at these cruises.
Here are a few examples. All three of these cruises visit Antarctica, Patagonia (Chilean Fjords), and the Falkland Islands:
- November 4, 2020 for 16 nights – $7782 per person
- February 28, 2021 for 18 nights – $8642 per person
- March 17, 2021 for 17 nights – $7552 per person
If you just want a “quick” trip to the last continent, without any port stops in South America, there is also a shorter 10-night itinerary:
- November 7, 2020 for 10 nights — $6270 per person
All of these sailings include between 5 and 9 days in Antarctica, with scheduled daily landings and zodiac trips included in your fare. You’ll travel on either the Roald Amundsen or its identical sister ship the Fridtjof Nansen. Both these ships are brand new and are the world’s first hybrid powered cruise ships. Imagine sailing in the pristine waters of Antarctica without the dull roar of diesel engines!
Bob and I were lucky enough to be on the North American inaugural voyage of the Roald Amundsen last October. Here’s a a short video of our time on that ship:
A few months before that, I sailed to Antarctica on one of Hurtigruten’s older ships. Bob is still cranky he didn’t get to go on that trip, but he did help me put together a video of my Antarctica experience. It gives you an idea of what the daily routine is like on an Antarctic cruise, and some of the images are stunning (see below):
If you’re still in the “dreaming” phase for your next cruise vacation, perhaps these videos will tide you over until you’re ready.
If you’d consider Antarctica for this coming season, then I don’t think you’ll see prices any better than what I listed above.
If Antarctica is not really your speed (nothing wrong with that!) then here is a bit of an update on two other deals we’ve talked about recently:
Crystal 2021 European River Sailings for $3699. The list of departure dates has been expanded to include some later in the year, which will be of interest if you want to do a Christmas Markets cruise. If you missed our original post on this, here it is: Best Value on 2021 River Cruises
Fall 2020 Caribbean cruises on Crystal Ocean. Originally there were only 6 cruise dates included on this deal, but now all the cruises on the Crystal Serenity between October 1, and the middle of December are available for prices starting at $1399. The price is lowest in October and gets higher later in the year. All the prices are 50% or lower compared to what we’d normally expect. Here the link to that original post if you missed it: Unheard-of Opportunity for the Caribbean
We are so excited for those of you who have already taken advantage of these Crystal deals!
Keep your eyes open for Hurtigruten’s Flash Sale starting on July 1st. You don’t have to wait though, so if you’re interested in visiting Antarctica this season, get in touch right away so you’ll be first in line when bookings open up at 50% off.
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I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
